Fisher and Mustanski describe this problem in their article, “HIV Rates Are Increasing in Gay/Bisexual Teens: IRB Barriers to Research Must Be Resolved to Bend the Curve,” to be published by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.

On Monday, August 3, several organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, the National Education Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union released “Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools.” The report, which addresses issues such as names and pronouns, dress codes, and puberty and medical transition “represents an important milestone in reducing health disparities among transgender youth, something that we are also working toward at the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education,” stated Dr. Celia Fisher, Center Director.

Talukdar is a member of the fourth cohort of RETI fellows, and was the 2014 recipient of the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education / Santander Universities International Scholarship, which covers the cost of his travel to Fordham for two consecutive summer training institutes, as well as the cost of his mentored research project (MRP). His MRP examines voluntariness of consent to research involving women participating at a clinic-based HIV intervention trial in Kolkata, India.

According to the New York Times: “The trial — known by the acronym Voice, for Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic — was abruptly halted by independent safety monitors because it was not working: Women who were given pills or vaginal gels containing anti-H.I.V. drugs were becoming infected at roughly the same rate as women who were given placebos.”

“Be wary of blaming payment for research participation for inadequate research methods and participant consultation,” Fisher, an internationally renowned expert in research ethics and health disparities, advised.